Sega is doing what Nintendon't. Instead of shutting down programmers and artists making unlicensed Sonic the Hedgehog fan games, Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. is giving them jobs. Ever since the speedy blue mammal debuted on the Sega Genesis in 1991, it's been the company's most ...

Struggling Toshiba Corp. dodged delisting Thursday by submitting its annual business report for 2016 just before deadline, accompanied by a shaky sign-off from its auditor.

Researchers at an Osaka-based firm are closing in on a safer generation of batteries that could weather extreme temperatures in outer space. At least that's what Hitachi Zosen Corp. is betting on. The company, better known for building plants that convert waste to energy, is ...

The nation's food self-sufficiency rate hit a 23-year low on a calorie basis in fiscal 2016 ended in March, due primarily to falling rice consumption, the farm ministry said. The self-sufficiency rate fell 1 percentage point from the previous year to 38 percent, the second-lowest ...

Newly appointed Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa says she has no specific plan to increase Japan's intake of refugees despite the number of applicants hitting a record high last year. "Whether seekers are applicable for refugee (status) is judged based on the international treaty on refugees. ...

In an unprecedented announcement, North Korea said it is developing a plan to test-fire four intermediate ballistic missiles into the sea near Guam by mid-August.

Core private-sector machinery orders fell for a third consecutive month in June as a downturn in manufacturing overshadowed a recovery in nonmanufacturing, the government said Thursday. The orders, which exclude those for ships and from utilities because of their volatility, slipped a seasonally adjusted 1.9 ...

The suicide of an obstetrics and gynecology resident physician in his mid-30s has been recognized by a Tokyo labor office as a work-related death stemming from long hours.

Concern over the follow-up care patients receive after hospitals discharge them has led a surgeon to devise a system for sharing information with welfare authorities and care services. "The treatment of patients does not end at the hospital. Collaboration is thus indispensable," said neurosurgeon Masaaki ...

A goat, a cow and a pig walk into a Tokyo high-rise. It may sound like the start of a joke, but about 60 such animals have found a new home on the 13th floor of a building near Tokyo Station in the Otemachi district. Personnel ...

A Japanese researcher whose worldview was shaped by a transcontinental journey in his youth has spent years chronicling the lives of Native Americans and other minorities in the United States. "While moving across the continents to the west, just like a runaway boy, the faces ...

The new education minister says he will decide on whether to approve scandal-tainted school operator Kake Gakuen's bid to open a new veterinary department after weighing the results of an ongoing screening by the ministry's panel of experts. "I want to respect the panel's judgment," ...

Nearly five centuries after the Philippines was first colonized and more than 70 years since it was ravaged by World War II, Corregidor Island off Manila Bay continues to offer stark memories of its past. Amid the country's evolution to a more modern society and ...

The Wakayama Prefecture town of Taiji, known for its whale and dolphin hunts, said Wednesday it is establishing a sister-city relationship with a town in the Faroe Islands with similar traditional practices. Taiji and the Klaksvik in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic are ...

For Jisi Lazuo, the torch festival in her village in southwest China should be a celebration involving colorful ethnic clothes and eating freshly slaughtered pig. Instead, it's a time of stress. "In my heart I always get worried when the torch festival comes along," said Jisi, ...

A Venezuelan mayor-turned-fugitive has called for anti-government protesters to keep defying leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who has grabbed increased powers through a new legislative superbody stacked with Socialist Party loyalists. Ramon Muchacho of the wealthy Chacao district of the capital Caracas appeared in a video ...

North Korea will develop a plan by mid-August to launch four intermediate range missiles at the U.S. territory of Guam before presenting it to leader Kim Jong Un, who will make a decision on whether to proceed, the North's state media said on Thursday. The ...

U.S. investment fund Kohlberg Kravis Roberts said Wednesday it has decided to suspend a tender offer for Hitachi Ltd.'s chip manufacturing device maker Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc., initially planned for early August. KKR has said it plans to conduct the tender offer for Hitachi Kokusai ...

China stands to gain as Southeast Asian nations increasingly question America's security committment to the region.

Seoul stands in the way of a U.S. pre-emptive strike on North Korea.

Following renovations, the recently reopened Restaurant Tohoku Bokujo on the Hotel Continental Fuchu's first floor is now offering a dinner buffet with 100 percent organic and pesticide-free vegetables, eggs and chicken from Aomori Prefecture's Tohoku Bokujo. Tohoku Bokujo is a ranch where dozens of pesticide-free ...

By all accounts, this year's Fuji Rock Festival was a success. Punters of all ages and demographics enjoyed the laid-back vibe at the three-day music spectacular — give or take the constant rain — and most social media posts about the event focused on ...

Since Argentinian physical theater troupe Fuerza Bruta burst onto the scene in Buenos Aires in 2005, some 5 million people in more than 30 countries have experienced its high-energy, postmodern productions, which are often tailored to wherever they're staged. This time, the stage is Tokyo's ...

For most of the season, Yomiuri Giants infielder Takayuki Terauchi has been the odd man out, relegated mostly to pinch-hitting, running and serving as a defensive replacement. So when he got a rare chance to step into the spotlight, he wasn't about to let ...

Kisenosato on Thursday joined sumo's summer regional tour that began in late July, taking part in the promotional event that makes stops in various parts of Japan for the first time since being promoted to yokozuna in January. Kisenosato, who had missed the July 30 ...

Japan got its Women's Rugby World Cup campaign off to a losing start with a 72-14 defeat to European powerhouse France on Wednesday. Japan, ranked 14th in the world, gave up an early 22-0 lead in the first 20 minutes of the match as tries ...

New York Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka lasted only four-plus innings Wednesday when he faced compatriot Norichika Aoki for the first time this season in an 11-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Tanaka gave up three runs, two of them earned, and two hits while ...

Right-hander Koji Uehara has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a neck strain, the Chicago Cubs said Wednesday. The 42-year-old was removed from Tuesday's game against the San Francisco Giants after throwing just six pitches in the seventh inning. He will be ...